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SALTON CITY, California (UPI) — A New Mexico high school football coach, three members of his family and a star player on his team were killed in a head on traffic acci dent in a blowing sand storm south of here Tuesday. Authorities said the acci dent occurred when Chester LeRoy Lembke, 29, Loma Linda, Calif., passed another car on Highway 86 and col lided head on with a foreign compact car. The imported car caught fire and passersby shoveled an estimated 600 pounds of sand on it in an unsuccessful effort to extinguish the flames which finally were put out by the Salton City Volunteer Fire Department. At first authorities thought the only victims were Rich ard M. Johnson, 26, assistant football coach at Las Cruces, N.M., High School and Jim Leeland Welch, 19. Las Cruces, who was scheduled to be the star quarterback at Las Cruces High next season. Later authorities discovered the bodies of Johnson’s 5-month-old daughter Kristine, and his wife, Samatha, 24, in the wreckage. The car then was towed to the city of Westmorland where the body of Michael Andrew Johnson, 2, was found buried in the rear of te ve hicle. Coroner's authorities said all five apperently died in the impact. Lembke’s only injury were scratch on the head
Newspaper Details
Pomona Progress Bulletin
Pomona, California, US
Thu, Apr 19, 1973
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Rachel S.
USA 10 Aug 2026
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